Preventing germs, bacteria, viruses, fungi and other pathogenic microbes (hereinafter together referred to as “pathogens”) from entering a dwelling or building is both desirable and often necessary for reducing or eliminating infections and diseases from being contracted by people, which can cause them to become ill. People often repeatedly wash their hands to reduce or eliminate any pathogens that their hands may have come into contact with to thereby prevent such pathogens from infecting a person and causing them to become ill. However, a significant source of pathogens can be brought into a dwelling or building on a person's shoes, and more often more abundantly on the soles of a person's shoes. In some cultures, it has become traditional and expected for a person to remove their shoes before entering a dwelling or building where pathogens may be of particular concern, such as, e.g., a hospital or a restaurant. But in many other cultures, such tradition does not exist and/or has not been practiced. Thus, people tend to walk into a dwelling or building wearing their shoes without knowing of or being concerned about any dirt or pathogens that may be entering into the dwelling or building on the soles of their shoes.
Therefore, it has become common for people to place mats or rugs on either or both sides (e.g., inside and/or outside) of a door to a dwelling or building. However, such mats and rugs typically have been configured and used for removing dirt and debris from the soles of a person's shoes upon a person standing on the mat or rug and wiping their shoes on the mat. Such mats have been made of, e.g., rubber, straw or cloth, and include a course surface to help facilitate at least a partial removal of dirt and debris from the soles of a person's shoes. One apparent problem with these types of mats is that they would themselves become dirty and/or infected with pathogens, and therefore may likely have to be repeatedly cleaned and sanitized, often frequently depending on the amount of exposure to dirt and debris. However, dirt, debris and pathogens tend to build-up on mats of this type after just a single use. Thus, unless the mat is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each use, dirt and pathogens may be spread and tracked into the dwelling or building upon another person using the mat.
Accordingly, in addition to the aforementioned traditional types of mats, there have been introduced devices for cleaning the soles of shoes that purportedly minimize the amount of dirt and moisture brought into a building by persons entering the building. One device, for example, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,549. The device described in the publication uses a mat configured to rotate as an endless loop between guide rollers within a floor opening at an entranceway within a building. In one section, in which the mat runs in one direction, the mat acts as a tread surface to absorb dirt and moisture. In another section, the mat runs in the opposite direction, cleaned of the gathered dirt and moisture, and reconditioned by mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic mechanisms within the floor opening. Another device, for example, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,024,721, uses multiple removable and disposable cleaning sheets that are supported in a stacked configuration on an upper surface of a base sheet. Thus, when the top sheet becomes dirty or saturated, it can be removed and disposed of with the sheet that was immediately below it, which becomes the top sheet.
Another device, for example, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,051,393, has been introduced to purportedly remove dirt and germs from a person's shoes before they enter a home or business. Four systems that are described in this publication are used, including (i) a first system that provides a method for initiating and replenishing fluids that contain a disinfectant; (ii) a second system that presents the method of providing a new dampened wiping surface each time the device is ready for use; (iii) a third system that provides a means of removing solid particulates from a used wiping surface; and a fourth system that provides the method of collecting the previously removed solids.
However, these types of mats are not specifically configured for substantially reducing or eliminating pathogens that may be on the soles of a person's footwear. Therefore, it appears that there is a need for apparatus and method that can significantly reduce and/or eliminate germs and/or bacteria from the soles of a person's shoes.